Examining Real-World Applicability of Depression Prevention Trials

Abstract

Development of prevention programs is essential in areas of high health and cost impact on society, and although many programs are able to demonstrate efficacy under idealistic conditions, these effects often diminish as they more towards real-world delivery. This is thought to be the result of moving from tightly controlled conditions to more realistic ones. However, to our knowledge, data does not exist that confirm this is true, or that identify what specific components of a program are contributing to this decline. By examining the research cycle dimensionally as studies move from efficacy to effectiveness, we can test whether programs with more realistic delivery truly do see a diminishing of effects over time, and more so, what components of those programs may be driving this. We have operationalized this process through the development of a rating scale that will allow researchers to quantify the level of real-world applicability of a program. Here, we introduce our conceptualization of the real-world applicability framework used to guide the development of this scale, and examine preliminary coding of prevention programs.